Nathu La Server Chassis
The servers, built on Intel Xeon 6 processors, are designed for captive use in Zoho’s data centres in India and abroad, with about 1,000 units already deployed. They are capable of hosting smaller AI inference workloads, including host CPUs that orchestrate AI accelerators, with initial deployments covering CRM, video and email hosting. “With our strategy of using contextual, right-sized models running on our own platform, in our own data centres, we are compounding the benefits of owning our entire technology stack, making our solutions more sustainable and accessible,” said Shailesh Davey, CEO of Zoho Corp.Zoho set up an R&D team in Nagpur in 2020 to build the platform, hiring and training local talent. The company did not disclose the investment. Mangesh Sadafale, head of hardware development, said the server is modular and optimised for virtualisation, high-performance computing, AI inference and storage workloads specific to Zoho’s needs. It consumes 12–18% lower power and delivers lower TCO compared to global OEM servers in certain use cases, based on internal benchmarks. Zoho has also filed over five patents covering thermal management and cost-optimised server architecture, and has lined up additional hardware products.
